I
have been purchasing auto parts
from RockAuto for some time and
it just gets better. My last order
was for Walker exhaust parts for
my sons 1997 Pontiac Grand Am.
It needed both the muffler and
the resonator pipe.

None of the
big chain auto parts stores had
any of the parts
in stock, plus their prices were
nearly twice
RockAuto's price. In only two days
we had all
the factory correct parts and
we saved a pile of money.

Thanks
RockAuto, you are the very best
when it comes to auto parts.

Phil in Illinois

Upcoming
EventsIf
you would like
your event
featured here, email us
with details.

There
is no better time than the present
to finish up the restoration on your
1969 Dodge Charger or your 1942 Ford
Super Deluxe! RockAuto has recently
added Classic 2 Current Fabrication
Repair Panels to the RockAuto.com
catalog.

Classic 2 Current
Fabrication focuses primarily on
rocker panels and floor
pans for a variety of makes and models
dating back to 1937, but quarter
panels, toe boards, trunk extensions,
and trunk floor
pans are also available. Classic
2 Current Fabrication repair panels
are manufactured using
at least 20 gauge
coated automotive
steel; although floor pans, trunk
pans and inner rocker panels are
made from 18 gauge for extra durability.

Adding Classic
2 Current Fabrication to the RockAuto
catalog is another
way RockAuto is trying to make those
hard to find parts more available
to you. Check the ‘Body-Exterior’ category
of the RockAuto.com catalog today
and see if RockAuto has the vintage
auto body parts that you need to
finish your restoration!

Forum of the Month

MX6.com is the world’s largest Mazda
MX6 community, dedicated to serving
MX6 owners and enthusiasts. The forum
also caters to other Mazda models,
specifically the 323 and 626, as
well as the new Mazda6.

It is a valued resource for prospective
and current owners and boasts an
active and educated membership base
who are eager to help out fellow
owners, or those looking to purchase
a Mazda.

The MX6-specific
forums are divided into first and
second-generation
models with numerous sub-forums dedicated
to performance and aesthetic modifications.

Along with
discussion areas for additional
Mazda models, there are
separate regional forums to help
better serve the board’s international
members. With a regional breakdown
for the United States, MX6.com also
boasts an active user-base in Canada,
the U.K and Ireland, as well as Australia
and New Zealand.

If you are the
administrator or member of a forum
and you would like to see your
website featured in an upcoming
newsletter and receive a discount
code to share with your members,
contact jessa@rockauto.com.

Repair Mistakes & Blunders

So,
there I was way back in the early
70’s or so,
rebuilding the 40 hp engine of my
1965 VW bug on my parent’s
back porch. I was hoping to finish
the job before a "hot" Saturday
night date with my girlfriend Janice.
Some of my less mechanically inclined
friends understood my predicament
and wanted to help. I should have
brushed them aside as one pal dropped
a nut down into the intake manifold
of the partially assembled engine,
which required a minor engine disassembly
to remove. I did however, let Tony
attach the fuel line on the fuel
pump.

Janice’s parents
had strict orders to have her home
by midnight. I was showing her where
I was
attending Vocational School late
that evening when I noticed
the Bug wouldn’t start. A quick
check under the engine lid showed
a massive fuel leak at the fuel pump.
Tony had cross-threaded the fuel
connection and ruined the brass fitting.
I did some quick thinking and asked
Janice if she had some
chewing gum (she usually did). I
had her and myself quickly chew some
gum, as this became the basis for
my repair on the fuel fitting. I
tightly packed some gum around the
fuel fitting, and the Bug started
back to life. We then sprinted across
town to make it back to her house
just in the nick of time.

I mainly do my engine work alone
these days...

Frank in Denver, remembering his
youth in Pittsburgh, PA.

Tell us about
your most infamous auto repair
blunder. Use your woe to help others
avoid similar mistakes. Please
email your story to flamur@rockauto.com.
Include your mailing address and
shirt size (large or extra large)
and we will mail you a RockAuto "Do
it yourself?" t-shirt if we
publish your story (see the t-shirts
under Extras in the catalog). The
story will be credited using only
your first
name and your vague geographic
location (state, province, country,
continent, etc.) so you can remain
semi-anonymous!

Not Just There
to Make the Ride Nice

After participating
in a recent Tenneco Technology Tour
class, I better understand that shocks
and struts are not just there to
make the ride nice. Changing the
shocks and struts is as important
as regularly changing the motor oil.

Tenneco
makes Monroe and Rancho shocks
and struts designed for specific
vehicle applications. There is
also a good chance they made the
original
equipment shocks or struts for
your car or truck. They live and
breathe
shocks and struts and before the
Technology Tour class I was suspicious
that they might exaggerate their
importance. My suspicions quickly
dissipated.

Every class topic was demonstrated
with video or suspension, steering,
and braking systems set up on tables.
I also drove pairs of vehicles that
were identical except for their shocks
and struts. Both BMWs, both Chryslers,
and both Nissans had approximately
50000 miles (80000 km) on their odometers,
but one vehicle in each pair had
the original shocks and struts and
one vehicle had new Monroe Reflex
or Sensatrac shocks and struts. It
is futile for most drivers to attempt
to remember how their vehicle braked,
steered, and handled 50000 miles
ago, but I got to actually experience
the difference.

This is what I learned in the class
and behind the wheel. Shocks and
struts use hydraulic fluid to dampen
both the compression and the expansion
of the suspension system. The hydraulic
fluid in the shock or strut is pressurized
with nitrogen gas to prevent aeration
(foaming bubbles). After 50000 miles
of movement and heat, the nitrogen
gas pressure has faded, the seals
controlling expansion and compression
are leaking, and the color of the
hydraulic fluid has changed from
red to black.

The flow of hydraulic fluid is typically
restricted 70% when the rod is pulled
out of a shock (expansion) and 30%
when the rod is pushed in (compression).
So a shock is easier to compress
than it is to expand.

The need for
resistance against both expansion
and compression is
demonstrated during braking. If the
rods pull too easily out of the rear
shocks and the rods push too easily
into the front shocks then the vehicle’s
rear rises up and the front dives
down during braking. This puts more
load on the front brakes. Brake pads
wear out faster and brake rotors
are more likely to overheat and warp.
With the front brakes doing most
of the stopping, braking distances
increase. The BMW 325i I drove with
the new Sensatrac struts seemed to
have better brakes than the BMW with
the original struts. Same brakes,
one BMW just had worn out struts.

If the shocks and struts are not
resisting expansion and compression
adequately then the movement of steering
and suspension components is increased.
Bumpers, bushings, ball joints, boots,
tie rods, CV joints, and even engine
mounts face extreme movement or impact
and prematurely wear out. Steering
is degraded, as the vehicle leans
too far on the outside and rises
up too far on the inside of every
turn. The pair of Chrysler minivans
proved this to me.

Bad shocks or struts also put more
wear and tear on the springs. The
springs are radically compressed
and expanded with every bump or turn.
The extra travel and heat prematurely
causes the collapse of coil springs.
Ride height and wheel alignment are
altered.

With alignment off and the tires
bouncing off the road surface, tires
end up with uneven tread wear such
as cupping and feathering. I noticed
the rear of the Nissan Xterra with
the worn shocks was more likely to
break loose in turns. The Xterra
was leaning too far and the tires
were not holding the road.

Changing shocks and struts every
50000 miles should be as routine
as changing the engine oil for
drivers that want to maximize
the life of their vehicles. Pushing
down on a fender to see if the
vehicle bounces may have been
a
way to check the shocks on a
1968 Plymouth with a solid axle and
leaf springs. The fender push
test
does not work so well on a car
with front wheel drive or an
independent suspension. The shocks
or struts
may be bad, but all those modern
and expensive suspension, steering
and drivetrain components are
now absorbing that bounce.

Tenneco found that 60% of the vehicles
sitting in junkyards still had the
original shocks and struts. How many
of those cars ended up as junk because
of chronic brake, steering, suspension,
tire, or drivetrain failures that
could have been prevented with new
shocks or struts every 50000 miles?
How many of those cars and trucks
would not have been in an accident
if their braking distance had been
ten feet shorter or if their steering
and suspension systems had been more
stable?

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

Scott's
1986 Mustang GT

Hello,

I just completed
a restoration of my 5.0L, 5-speed,
T-top, 91,000
mile 1986 Mustang GT. I have purchased
many parts from RockAuto including
the
Steering
Rack, Brake Booster/Master Combo,
Pads, Rotors, Drums, Shoes, Hardware,
Starter, Water Pump, all the engine
sensors,
and lots more. I love the prices
and fantastic service you provide.
Keep up the great work.

Scott in Illinois

Share Your
Hard WorkDo you purchase
parts from RockAuto? If so, RockAuto
would like to feature you and your
car or truck in our monthly newsletter.
Please email flamur@rockauto.com with
details.